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What’s New Around Walt Disney World: June 4, 2014

Welcome to the Disney Food Blog. If you enjoy this post, you should check out the tour of the site to see all the great Disney Food information we have.

For this round of “What’s New,” we’ve got food news (and menu changes galore) from every single Disney World park… and beyond! So settle, in, make yourselves comfy, and join us to see What’s New!

Animal Kingdom

We’ll start with the fact that Dole Whip (with or without rum, y’all) can now be found at Tamu Tamu Refreshments in Animal Kingdom’s Africa! (Yep; we’ve had confirmation from Dole that it IS indeed authentic Dole Whip Pineapple Soft Serve.)

Tamu Tamu Refreshments

Pineapple Soft-serve (Dole Whip!) menu

But we don’t want to miss the chance to mention that Tamu Tamu has also brought back some old favorites with a recent menu refresh: The Slow-cooked Pulled Beef Sandwich is back (hooray!), along with the return of the Quinoa Salad. The Roasted Chicken Salad and gorgeous Fresh Fruit Salad made the cut from the previous menu.

The Royal Anandapur Tea Company is a perfect spot to grab a cup of hot tea (assorted varieties available) or coffee. However, they’re currently offering some flavored Iced Teas in light of the warmer temps.

Royal Anandapur Tea Company Menu

Though not food-related, I’d like to offer this next picture as a small tribute. Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade wrapped up its nearly 13-year run as Animal Kingdom makes way for all sorts of new adventures. I don’t think I’m speaking solely for myself when I say this unique, beautiful and fun parade will be missed.

Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade

Magic Kingdom

The Lunching Pad has added one more option to its gourmet hot dog selection: the BLT Hot Dog joins the Coney Island Dog and the Philly Cheese Steak Dog.

And one more from Future World: Sunshine Seasons is now offering a Spicy Thai Green Curry Shrimp in place of the Spicy Cashew Chicken.

Part of the Sunshine Seasons menu

Moving to World Showcase, if you’re dining with Disney royalty (the Princesses!) at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, you now have a choice of Duo of Pork Belly and a Grilled Lamb Chop on the Dinner menu (previously, a Grilled Pork Chop and Rack of Lamb were available).

Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

At the United Kingdom’s Rose & Crown, appetizers now include House-made English Meat Pies, Apple & Frisee Salad, and a crock of Potato Leek Soup (we loved the old version, but I’m guessing this is the new lighter version back again).

Fish & Chips and Bangers and Mash have been designated as Rose and Crown Signature Favorites, and Scotch Flights are now listed on the main menu.

Rose & Crown Menu

Lunch guests can find Indian-Style Chicken Masala on the menu, along with Vegetable Cottage Pie, Shredded Corned Beef on Toast, and Shepherd’s Pie.

Fans of Les Halles Boulangerie Patisserie in France have a couple of new options to add to the already huge array of choices: Vichyssoise(Leek and Potato Soup served in a bread bowl) has been added to the menu.

Les Halles menu

And we’re happy to see that the Elephant Ear has returned (you’ll find it on the menu as “Palmier” for $3.85 and a snack credit on the Disney Dining Plan)! We really enjoyed this treat when it received a trial run in February, so it’s great to see it again.

Elephant Ears in bakery case

A tip: the chocolate is delish, but it melts quickly in the Florida sun – it might be best to keep this one in the indoor seating area!

Even though the greeting spot for Frozen’s Anna and Elsa has moved from Epcot to Magic Kingdom, you can still find evidence of the film’s characters in Epcot’s Norway Pavilion. I love Kringla Bakeri og Cafe’s take on the Marshmallow Wand, featuring Olaf the Snowman, and Anna is featured on a mini Bundt Cake.

Frozen snacks in Norway

And finally, a small addition to the Fountain View Starbucks for all our cupcake peeps out there: the Strawberry and Cream Cupcake has arrived!

But I noticed a small addition to the Joffrey’s kiosk over at Pixar Place: it’s now serving up a featured specialty brew, as well as a couple of summertime coffee treats: Iced Coconut Coffee and “Tropical Delight.” I’ve noticed these starting to pop up at several of the other Joffrey’s kiosks to be found around Disney World as well.

Resorts

Animal Kingdom Lodge

Aaah, Sanaa… ! The lunch and dinner menus have been refreshed. Some of your favorite items may have undergone a name change (for instance, the Grilled Angus Burger served at lunch is now the Sanaa Burger), but happily the primary changes here are additions.

Sanaa

You can now choose Chicken Vindaloo as one of your Slow-cooked options for lunch or dinner. At dinner only, Goan Style Crab Cakes have joined the list of appetizers.

Sanaa Lunch Menu

Sanaa Dinner Menu

Port Orleans – Riverside

Over at Port Orleans – Riverside, those dining at the Resort’s Table Service option, Boatwright’s, will see some new options among all those Southern favorites.

Boatwright’s Check In

Barbecued Shrimp and Fried Oysters join the appetizer line up, and guests can now order a side of Dirty Rice to go with their entrée.

The entrée selections now include a Slow-Roasted Prime Rib, Pasta Boillabaisse, Turbodog Barbecued Ribs, Shrimp and Grits (which was previously an appetizer), and Sustainable Fish. Desserts have been refreshed as well: Espresso Chocolate Cake and No-Sugar-Added Crème Brule are new options.

ESPN

If you catch a game and some grub over at ESPN Club and don’t see your favorite item on the menu, be sure to take a look at the menu item descriptions – most are still available under a name refresh.

ESPN Club (with a line to get in on Game Day!)

That said, there have been some changes. For appetizers, Lobster Bites have been replaced with Crawfish Bites, and the Asian Chicken Salad has been replaced with a Tuna Nicoise Salad.

Those EXTREME Burgers are now called Hand-crafted Burgers, but fret not – they’re still pretty extreme ;). There is a new Bayou Burger and a Caprese Burger. The Oktoberfest Burger has been refreshed and returns as the Old World Bavarian Burger.

So… are you hungry yet ? I know I am! Until next time, Eat and Be Happy!

Have you spotted anything new during a recent trip around the World? We’d love to hear about it in a comment!

Wendy, what a great comprehensive report. I feel as if I just traveled around WDW and tried everything you mentioned. The improvement in the fare ( especially the CS offerings ), over the last 30+ years is amazing. Every time I think it can’t get any better – it does. And the Dole Whips come with Meyer’s rum? How have I missed that?

Ande – The dragon says hello ;)! Have a great time preparing for your December trip!

Aland — Wow, thanks so much! The Dole Whips with rum are still relatively new. For the past two years, they’ve only been available at Epcot during the Flower & Garden Festival, so it’s fun to see them continuing on elsewhere. Hope you get to try some soon — Cheers!

Kaz – Hi! Hmm… you know, I’m assuming that the Potato and Leek soup is, however, I’m not 100% certain. If I’m able to confirm, I’ll update via this thread. Thanks!

Becky – Good to know! I just saw it on Sunday, so that’s a very recent change. Perhaps they discovered they weren’t a good fit for the space. Thank you for the update!

Jennifer — Thank you! We plan to keep these coming, so your feedback is really appreciated!

You just made my life with that news of the return of the pulled beef pita from Tamu Tamu! I was seriously depressed about its removal!!! AND I can get a Dole Whip for dessert??? That’s all I need….life is perfect. °o°